Last Friday, a Wake County judge ordered Austin Thompson, now 18, to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 2022 rampage that left five people dead and two others wounded. Thompson had already pleaded guilty in January to five counts of first-degree murder and related charges, ending the criminal case without a jury trial. The attack began on Oct. 13, 2022, in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood and stretched to the nearby Neuse River Greenway.
The rampage and the victims
Prosecutors say the violence started inside Thompson’s home, where he shot and repeatedly stabbed his 16-year-old brother, James. They say he then put on camouflage and moved through the neighborhood, fatally shooting four neighbors and injuring others. Authorities have identified the additional victims as Nicole Connors, 52, Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49. Those details and the timeline of the Oct. 13, 2022 attacks are outlined by AP News.
Judge rejects medication defense
Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway told the courtroom that Thompson’s months of planning and his internet searches showed premeditation, calling the case a rare level of corruption that justified the maximum sentence. “It’s hard to conceive of a greater display of malice,” Ridgeway said as he imposed five consecutive life sentences without parole, according to CBS News. The judge also rejected the defense claim that prescribed acne medication caused a dissociative episode that led to the violence.
Family reaction and related proceedings
Family members of the victims wept in court, and survivors urged the judge to deny any future chance of release. Jasmin Torres, widow of Officer Gabriel Torres, called Thompson a “monster” during the hearing, as reported by ABC11. Prosecutors presented a handwritten note recovered from Thompson’s home that said, “the reason I did this is because I hate humans,” which they say undercut the medication defense.
Thompson’s father, Alan Thompson, pleaded guilty in 2024 to improperly storing the firearm investigators say was found with his son, a matter previously reported by Hoodline in coverage of the father’s gun storage plea…